Cooling means for explosive-engines.



No. 718,482. r PATENTED JAN. 13, 1903..

r. A. LAW. N COOLING. MEANS FOR EXPLOSIVE ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 1899- InvenZOr:

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UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

FRED A. LAW, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE AS- SIGNMENTS, TO MORTON TRUST COMPANY, TRUSTEE, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COOLING MEANS FOR EXPLOSlVE-ENGINES.

SPECIFICATION formmg part of Letters Patent No. 718,482, dated January 13, 1903. Applioation filed June 26, 1899. Serial No. 721,882. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRED A. LAW, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford, county of Hartford, State of Oonnecticut,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cooling Means for Explosive-Engines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof.

Owing to the excessively high temperature of the exhaust-gases of explosive-engines the exhaust-valve and its seat and stem are liable to scaling and sticking and {there are sometimes other ill effects.

One object of the present invention is to prevent the ill effects of the overheating of the parts of the engine about the exhaust, and this result is accomplished by the introduction of steam into the chamber just outside of the exhaust-valve, the temperature of ordinary live steam being so much lower than the temperature of exhaust-gases that the resultant diminution of temperature very largely reduces the tendency to scaling and other ill efiects referred to. It is obvious that the steam might be supplied from any suitable source, so far as concerns the attainment of the result already referred to; but a further beneficial result is accomplished by using for this purpose the steam which is slowly generated from the water of the ordinary water-jacket,which is commonly applied to those parts of an explosive-engine which are liable to become highly heated. Such steam from the water-jacket is generally allowed to escape directly into the open air, and the cloud of steam s0 produced is sometimes objectionable; but in the present case the steam from the water-jacket is delivered into the exhaust-chamber, impinging against the valve-stem and the adjacent valve parts and not only accomplishes the result above referred to, but is itself greatly superheated and possibly decomposed by con tact with the hot hydrocarbons and at any rate mingled with a considerable volume of hot gases, so that it is finally exhausted into the atmosphere in a practically invisible state and does not cloud. The mixture of the steam with the hot gases has another marked advantage in that it deodorizes them, which may also be a result of the decomposition referred to as a possible cause for the dissipation of the steam-cloud.

The accompanying drawing represents, partly in elevation and partly in section, a convenient and practical embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing anordinary explosive-engine is sufficiently illustrated at A. The exhaust-valve B permits the escape of the ex cessively hot exhaust-gases at the proper intervals from the cylinder 0 into a chamber or conductor D, from which they pass eventually into the open air. In the construction shown a water-jacket E is applied to the head of the cylinder 0, being conveniently con-- nected by circulation-pipes e and c with a supply-tank F, if such tank be employed. Whatever, the particular construction may be a steam-conductor, such as the pipe f, delivers the steam generated in the waterjacket or in the cooling system or elsewhere into the exhaust-chamber or conductor just outside of the exhaust-valve B, impinging against the valvestem and the adjacent valve parts, so that the steam is mingled with the exhaust-gases when they are hottest, reducing their temperature, so as to prevent the ill effects due to their very high normal temperature, while, the steam itself is so affected by the hot exhaust-gases that it is practically invisible when finally delivered from the engine into the open air. A small steam-domef is shown as provided on the tank F, and a check-valve f may be interposed in the pipe f; but it will be obvious that in this, as well as in many other respects, the construction may be varied from what is shown without departing from the spirit of the invention, which is not limited to the precise construction and arrangement of parts shown and described herein.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination with an explosion-engine, of a steam-supply and a conductor between the steam-supply and the exhaustchamber of the engine, the outlet of said conductor being arranged in proximity to the exhaust-valve whereby steam is constantly supplied to the exhaust-chamber so as to im- IOO pinge against said valve and the adjacent valve parts when the exhaust-valve is closed, substantially as described.

2. The combination with an explosion-engine having its cylinder provided with a Wat-er-jacket, of a conductor communicating with said water-jacket and the exhaust-chamber of the engine, and means to exclude water from and admit steam into said conductor, the outlet of said conductor being arranged adjacent to the exhaust-valve whereby steam is constantly supplied to the exhaust-chamber so as to impinge against said valve and the valve-seat when the exhaust-valve is closed, substantially as described.

3. The combination with an explosion-engine having its cylinder provided with a wa tier-jacket, and a supply-tank communicating with said water-jacket whereby the steam generated therein is collected, of a conductor communicating with said tank at a point above the water-level and the exhaust-chamber of the engine, the outlet of said conductor being arranged adjacent to the exhaust-val ve whereby steam is constantly conducted to the exhaust-chamber so as to impinge against said valve and the valve-stem when the eX- haust-valve is closed, substantially as described.

4. The combination with an explosion-engine having its cylinder provided with a water-jacket and having an explosion-chamber or conductor for the escape of the products of combustion, ofaconductor communicating with said water-jacket and the exhaust-chamber and means to exclude water from and ad mit steam into said conductor whereby the steam generated by the water-jacket is constantly supplied to said exhaust-chamber so as to impinge against the valve and its seat, the outlet of said steam-conductor being arranged so that the steam is drawn across the outer face of the valve by the escaping prodnets of combustion,substantially as described.

5. The combination with a chamber for the combustion of hydrocarbons having an outlet for the products of combustion and a valve therefor, of a source of steam and means for conducting the steam into said outlet in close proximity to said valve whereby the steam is mingled with the products of combustion when they are hottest and is drawn across the outer face of the valve by the escaping products of combustion.

This specification signed and witnessed this 21st day of June, A. D. 1899.

FRED A. LAW. In presence of- FRANCIS E. FIELD, IIERMANN F. OUNTZ. 

